Author: admin

Carrie (@carriesim)’s journey to body positivity started after a harsh wake-up call when she fainted and lost control of her bladder on the MRT train as a result of extreme dieting. That embarrassing incident triggered her to take the first step and get out of her unhealthy eating habits.

“Finally, after so many years, I’m at a stage of accepting that no matter how my body looks and changes, and how much or little I do, that it doesn’t reflect my self-worth. At every stage, regardless of how I look or what weight I am, I am capable of making poor choices and good ones that bring me closer or further from what matters most to me,” she said.

“What matters is loving the life I lead and the values I uphold. In order to get there, I am learning to respect my body enough to find a balance and not spend too much time trying to control how people perceive me via how my body appears.”

Rock The Naked Truth (@rockthenakedtruthsg) has been a huge part of Carrie’s body positivity journey, giving her a platform and many opportunities to really look at my body and not just try to hide it away when she wasn’t comfortable with it changing.  Since its inception in 2016, Carrie has been actively involved in their initiatives and campaigns to help others find confidence in themselves. The body image movement has also connected her with a community of other men and women who are working through their own journeys.

Carrie also feels that clothes should fit people and not the other way round. “Everyone should have access to clothes that fit them from the brands they love, especially a brand like lululemon that is known for its great fit, amazing quality, and ability to marry both form and function. Inclusive extended sizing also sends a clear message that we really matter at any size and shape.

“I really appreciate that lululemon has invested time and money in expanding its size range to serve people who don’t fit within typical dress sizes. It is one of the undisputed market leaders for athletic apparel and by making this move, lululemon is paving the way for more companies (not just athletic apparel brands) to see that this group of underserved individuals who require extended sizes are worth investing in too.”

Loving the breathable material of the sports bra and leggings she is wearing here, Carrie particularly likes how there are no uncomfortable armpit bulges and how great the support is for the boobs. The leggings are are also extremely stretchable and can take her from barre to boxing.

There is no one size to fit all dress sizes as there is no one size to live a good and meaningful life. It’s okay to feel bad about not being where we want to be and it’s okay to also feel proud about the progress we’ve made. Wherever you’re at, you’re enough. Trust the process and embrace a life of work in progress.

Carrie is wearing the Energy Bra and the Invigorate High-Rise Tight from lululemon here.

Hitting her heaviest of 85kg (for her height of 165cm) after the birth of her daughter, Vyriella Lee thought she could somehow “miraculously lose the weight via breastfeeding like most mothers do”, but it did not happen for her.

“I remembered getting upset at my husband for making me look so fat in pictures. But it was never his fault; I was already fat to begin with. I hated to look at myself in the mirror because I would get really frustrated with my body. I kept buying a lot of clothes to fill the emptiness inside of me, yet I felt that whatever I wore just didn’t look nice on me,” said the 42-year-old self-employed mother of one.

Constantly feeling like people are judging her, Vyriella grew up with her family labeling her as “fat”. Being an ex-offender didn’t make things any easier either.

“Being an ex-offender in this digital age has made it SO HARD for individuals like myself, who had brushes with the law, to reboot our lives on a clean slate. I have been talked down to by people I love many times and even got escorted out of office when they find out about my past. That affected my mental state badly and hating how I looked in the mirror just made things worse. My sex life was somehow affected as well, due to my lack of self-confidence, which in turn affected our marriage and I found myself slipping into post-partum depression,” she added.

Her wake-up call came one day last June when she was nearly knocked down by a car whilst carrying her daughter. “That made me realise that I wasn’t afraid of death. In fact, I was hoping the car had knocked me dead but it didn’t.

“Then almost immediately after thinking that, I got jolted to my senses that I cannot deprive my daughter of her chance of happiness in life. She was only 14 months then and still had a long way ahead of her. As the saying goes, a happy mom = happy kid, so I started taking active steps to lose weight, exercise and eat healthy.”

Although Vyriella feels that she is still far from where she wants to be, she is happy because she knows she is on the right track. She feels it is important for her to be an example to her daughter by embracing her body and keeping healthy, understanding that all of us come in different shapes and sizes.

“I initially hated motherhood because of how I looked but I’ve managed to get past that. I hope that me being so raw and upfront about myself will inspire all women to focus on the good and love themselves. We need to learn to celebrate, no matter how small the win is.”

*This is a collaboration between Rock The Naked Truth and Pink Salt